hi everyone,
im new to this forum and for my 1st question i would like to ask, which fish or which species of fish sould i keep. the pond is 8ft long, 4ft wide and 2ft deep (maybe 3ft depends if i want to go deeper or not)

generally im looking for:
-fish that are quite hardy and would hopefully last in the winter
-fish that instantly catch the eye
-and fish that are really playfull (i'd love to feed them from my hand :P)

aslo i'd be greatfull if someone could give me a few websites that sell pond fish just incase i dont find what im looking for in the centeres

plan to buy a uv filter and strong pump generally top of the range equipment aparantly

will be very greatfull if anyone could reply
thanks in advance !!

"zuhayr-123" wrote


hi everyone,
im new to this forum and for my 1st question i would like to ask, which
fish or which species of fish sould i keep. the pond is 8ft long, 4ft
wide and 2ft deep (maybe 3ft depends if i want to go deeper or not)

generally im looking for:
-fish that are quite hardy and would hopefully last in the winter
-fish that instantly catch the eye
-and fish that are really playfull (i'd love to feed them from my hand
:P)

aslo i'd be greatfull if someone could give me a few websites that sell
pond fish just incase i dont find what im looking for in the centeres

plan to buy a uv filter and strong pump generally top of the range
equipment aparantly

will be very greatfull if anyone could reply
thanks in advance !!


It would need to be more than 3ft deep and quite a bit bigger for you to
keep a few Koi or Carp of any description, they would also cause you
significant problems if you want your pond to be planted as they are the
fish equivalent of pigs. I suggest you stick to Goldfish in all their
variety as your "first" fish, in a pond that size some will get quite large
provided you restrict the numbers and cull any fry that arrive, as they
will.
Later you might like to try Orfe but they do get big and require well
oxygenated water and can stop you using some chemical treatments in your
pond, personally I don't care for them.
Rudd are often promoted as pond fish but they also stop you using some
treatments and even the "Golden" ones are difficult to see.
Stick to Goldfish varieties and choose some good quality ones.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message...
"zuhayr-123" wrote
which fish or which species of fish sould i keep. ---
generally im looking for:
-fish that are quite hardy and would hopefully last in the winter
-fish that instantly catch the eye
-and fish that are really playfull (i'd love to feed them from my hand

--- I suggest you stick to Goldfish in all their variety as your "first"
fish --, Stick to Goldfish varieties and choose some good quality ones.

Yes, I pretty much agree with Bob's statements.
I started with just the cheap (like $.29 feeder) goldfish.
They should meet all your requests, and give you
experience (without the financial and emotional costs)
of fancier fish.
Good luck in avoiding preditors.

Thanks a lot for you quick reply.
another question, one of the aquatic centres close to me sell shark fish, like ruby sharks or red tail sharks and they've kept them in tanks so I don’t think they would be able to survive in ponds but just to see if I’m right or not could any one of you please confirm it to me whether or not they will be able to live??

and also i know now im definetly getting Goldfish but could you please give me a few names for which ones to get considering on how hardy they are

Waiting for your reply

Thank you

"zuhayr-123" wrote


Thanks a lot for you quick reply.
another question, one of the aquatic centres close to me sell shark
fish, like ruby sharks or red tail sharks and they've kept them in tanks
so I don’t think they would be able to survive in ponds but just to see
if I’m right or not could any one of you please confirm it to me whether
or not they will be able to live??

and also i know now im definetly getting Goldfish but could you please
give me a few names for which ones to get considering on how hardy they
are

Waiting for your reply

I don't recognise these "Shark Fish" you mention, certainly Red Tailed
Sharks are a tropical fish and could not live in an outside pond in anywhere
other than the tropics. Are they perhaps Sterlets, small sturgeon, which are
too big for your pond?
The normal Goldfish are perfectly hardy as are the varieties Comet and
Shubunkin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shubunkin
The only problem is they will interbreed.

Other more ornately finned fish like Rancho, Veiltail, Lionhead, Moor, Wakin
etc., are a lot less hardy and will suffer badly during prolonged exposure
to cold weather like, for example, a normal British winter.
I once was given the only Lionhead to survive in a whole shipment of fish
imported from abroad, that fish remarkably survived for about 4 years in my
Koi pond, getting quite big, but an extra cold winter caused it swim bladder
problems and it died.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

I think Japanese carp (Koi) is the best chose. They are colorful, good in withstand harsh weather and lively. The meaning of the Koi fish is quite unknown to many people, love and bring lucky to you.

On May 24, 11:18*am, zuhayr-123
wrote:
hi everyone,
im new to this forum and for my 1st question i would like to ask, which
fish or which species of fish sould i keep. the pond is 8ft long, 4ft
wide and 2ft deep (maybe 3ft depends if i want to go deeper or not)

generally im looking for:
-fish that are quite hardy and would hopefully last in the winter
-fish that instantly catch the eye
-and fish that are really playfull (i'd love to feed them from my hand
:P)

aslo i'd be greatfull if someone could give me a few websites that sell
pond fish just incase i dont find what im looking for in the centeres

plan to buy a uv filter and strong pump generally top of the range
equipment aparantly

will be very greatfull if anyone could reply
thanks in advance !!

--
zuhayr-123

Hi Zuhayr. My favourite pond fish is the Koi but when taking care of
these beautiful creatures the most important thing that you can do for
them is to provide the best filtration possible. We've been building
our own for years and I've got some great pictures on how to make
one, If you want a pond with only a couple of fish and mostly
plants, I would stick to one or two Goldfish to eat up the mosquito
population or if your Aquarium Stores have Rosey Reds, they are a
great small fish and can survive winters.
If you want Koi and/or Goldfish and lots of them, u.v. sterilizers and
barley straw are only quick fixes and give the ponder a false sense of
security as far as, "If the water is clear, it must be healthy", and
this is not the case. A good bio-filter, larger enough for the size
of the pond and fish in it is what is really necessary.
Also, as Bob suggested, it must be a good sized pond.

www.agardenwithwater.com is a good site.
I belong to the Forest City Pond Club @ www.forestcitypondclub.com
in London Ontario Canada

Yours Koily, Lorraine

zuhayr-123 wrote:


hi everyone,
im new to this forum and for my 1st question i would like to ask, which
fish or which species of fish sould i keep. the pond is 8ft long, 4ft
wide and 2ft deep (maybe 3ft depends if i want to go deeper or not)

generally im looking for:
-fish that are quite hardy and would hopefully last in the winter
-fish that instantly catch the eye
-and fish that are really playfull (i'd love to feed them from my hand
:P)

I have a 200gallon 'pond' in NY.

We bought a dozen ruby reds 3 years ago. $2. Now we have 3-4
dozen. They school-- they come to someone feeding them. They are
colorful. [there were 3-4 'plain' ones in the original batch. They
seem to stay at about a third and we've made no attempt an directing
the breeders.]

I'm in NY where most folks shut their ponds down in the winter. I
keep it flowing, but it is otherwise covered with ice from Dec-March.

The first winter I brought half of them indoors. The outdoor ones
did just fine. Last winter I left them all outside.

They eat algae & mosquito larva if I. . . my wife doesn't feed them.

Robyn has about all you need to know on her page-
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/rosies.htm


Jim

The very first thing you have to keep in mind that pond fish selected will have a great influence on one's ability to successfully populate the pond with plants.Gold fish and koi fish are best choices.

"allen73" wrote


The very first thing you have to keep in mind that pond fish selected
will have a great influence on one's ability to successfully populate
the pond with plants.Gold fish and koi fish are best choices.


You recommend Koi for a planted pond? I don't think so, have you even seen
what a powerful 3ft long fish can do to plants when it decides there might
just be food in there?
I planted a water lily in a large tub but didn't wire the wire mesh (needed
to protect the lily) on tight enough, within half an hour the lily floated
to the surface looking a lot worse for wear. It's often said to use stones
to protect plant roots in pots but how big would the stones need to be for
Koi.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK